Master of Nursing Science Admission requirements

Admission requirements

a three-year bachelor degree, or equivalent, in any discipline, completed within 10 years of application. Where this degree is older than ten years, the Selection Committee will call for curriculum vitae and consider any graduate study completed in the intervening period to determine current capacity for graduate study, or significant relevant professional experience of greater than five years full-time equivalent

a supporting statement from applicants indicating their reasons for and ability to undertake the Master of Nursing Science

the contact details of two professional referees

The Selection Committee may conduct interviews to elucidate any of the matters referred to above.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, there are a number of ways of demonstrating that you have met this requirement. If you undertake the IELTS test, entry to the Master of Nursing Science requires an IELTS (Academic English only) score of 6.5 (written 7.0, no band less than 6.5).

Human Anatomy for Nursing Students

Applicants are assumed to have some grounding at a tertiary level in human anatomy before commencing the course. Students without such grounding can take the online subject Human Anatomy for Nursing Students to prepare for the course.

Overseas qualifications

If your Bachelor degree was awarded at an overseas university, your qualification will be assessed for equivalency using available resources. The Australian Government provides a qualification assessment service through Australian Education International, should you wish to submit evidence of equivalency with your application.

If your qualification documents are not in English, you must provide an official translation with the original documents.

Enrolment requirements

Students who successfully gain a place in the Master of Nursing Science must meet several additional enrolment requirements upon course commencement. Further information will be provided in your enrolment pack.

Police record check

Organisations, such as hospitals, that provide clinical placements for students require annual police checks to be undertaken in order to assess students' suitability for placement. Master of Nursing Science students are required to complete a Victoria Police National Name Check upon course commencement.

Students pay the discounted student rate for the police check if the consent form is authorised by an approved University staff member.

Note: the police check must be issued in the year of course commencement.

International students and students who have lived abroad for more than one year must normally provide a police check from all countries of residence. Processing times for such documents vary greatly, so students are advised to request the police checks as soon as possible after accepting a place in the course.

When requesting police checks from countries other than Australia, you must ensure that it is a national police check (eg. students from the USA must request a check through the FBI, not their local police station).

Working with Children checks

In Victoria, the law now requires people who engage or intend to engage in child-related work to provide a Working with Children (WWC) check. If applicants meet the mandatory minimum checking standard, they are issued with an assessment notice which enables them to take part in child-related work.

The WWC is valid for 5 years. Details of the WWC check are available on the Department of Justice website.

Level 2 First Aid Certificate

All students must provide evidence of completion of a Level 2 First Aid course by the commencement of their second semester of study.

Infectious diseases vaccination

Health care workers may be exposed to, and transmit, vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs). Maintenance of immunity to VPDs in the health care work population helps prevent transmission of VPDs to and from health care workers and patients (DHS, March 2000).

It is strongly recommended that students ensure that they are adequately
immunised against common infectious agents such as hepatitis B.

Some clinical agencies require students to produce evidence of vaccination status before commencing clinical placements. Students who are unable to satisfy health care agencies' requirements may be limited in their opportunities for clinical placements, and progress in the course may be affected.

Vaccination is strongly advised for hepatitis A/B, influenza, measles/mumps and tuberculosis. Students should seek advice from their health care provider before commencing the course.

Recognition of Prior Learning

Credit may be granted based on prior learning for tertiary subjects completed at Masters level. Credit cannot be granted for more than 50% of the total course credits. Applications for credit must be submitted with your course application and are subject to approval by Nursing's Academic Programs Committee.

If your previous studies were undertaken overseas you must be able to demonstrate that your qualification is equivalent in level to an Australian masters degree.